Why you should invest in your (further) education

BAföG is paid by the state to enable young people to finance their education or studies. Half of the monthly grant is given to you by the state, while the other half is granted as an interest-free loan. The maximum BAföG rate is currently €992 per month.

Whether you receive money each month and how much depends on factors such as your parents' income, your own assets, your living situation and others. Unfortunately, only full-time students are eligible for BAföG. Find out more about the exact requirements here .

The BAföG calculator provides an initial indication of whether you would receive BAföG and how much.

Good to know: A part-time job earning up to 603€ per month does not reduce your BAföG rate.

You can apply for BAföG online. Very important: Be sure to note the application deadlines! Further information is available here:

Studentenwerk Dresden
Amt für Ausbildungsförderung
Fritz-Löffler-Str. 18
01069 Dresden
http://www.studentenwerk-dresden.de/finanzierung/

Full-time students are eligible for child benefit until they reach the age of 25. The current monthly amount is 259€.
The application is usually submitted by the parents to the family benefits office.

Earn money and gain professional experience: many students finance their studies with part-time and holiday jobs.

Mini-job

With a mini-job, you can earn a maximum of 603€ per month. As a rule, you do not pay any contributions to unemployment and nursing care insurance, no taxes and only a reduced personal contribution to pension insurance (from which you can be exempted). The employer pays flat-rate contributions to the mini-job centre.

If you receive BAföG, an additional mini-job is perfect: you are currently allowed to earn 603€ per month without your BAföG being reduced. A mini-job also has no effect on your child benefit. This means that you can receive BAföG, child benefit and a mini-job salary of 603€ at the same time.

Working student job

Full-time students benefit from the working student privilege and do not have to pay any social security contributions apart from pension insurance contributions. There is no limit on earnings. As a rule, working students are not allowed to work more than 20 hours per week. Short-term employment is an exception.

At our university, there are always many part-time jobs advertised for students that are specifically tailored to our degree programmes. This allows you to gain experience in your future field of work. Our Career Service will be happy to assist you in finding the perfect part-time job.

Recipients of the Deutschlandstipendium receive €300 per month , with half of the money coming from the state and the other half from donors and sponsors. The FHD awards Deutschlandstipendium grants to its students every year. The Deutschlandstipendium is based on the Scholarship Programme Act, which was introduced by the Federal Government in July 2010. You can find information about the federal initiative at deutschlandstipendium.de .

Application

Applications will be accepted from June 2026. The deadline is 31 August 2026.

Simply apply by emailing deutschlandstipendium@fh-dresden.eu with the completed application form , your CV and a cover letter. Please also submit a recent school report (if you are a school pupil) or a recent academic transcript (if you are a student). When applying, please also indicate any special circumstances (single parent, caring for a family member, first in your family to attend university, personal disability, etc.) as well as any work placements, previous work experience, voluntary roles, etc. These factors will also be taken into account during the selection process and will influence the decision.

You can find the form for sponsors here:
Deutschlandstipendium_Sponsor-Form .

Your contact person for questions regarding the Germany Scholarship at the FHD:

Assistant to the University Management

0351 4445-416

deutschlandstipendium@fh-dresden.eu

Have you already successfully completed vocational training and now want to study?
The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) supports full-time students with excellent professional achievements with 992€ per month plus a book allowance of 80€ per month . Scholarship holders in a part-time degree programme receive 3045€ per calendar year .

Click here for the explanatory video .

Applications can be submitted before the start of the programme and until the end of the second semester.
All requirements and application information for the scholarship can be found here .

A scholarship is something for you too!

Many people think that scholarships are out of reach for them. But there are so many different scholarships with a wide variety of selection criteria. Often, it's not necessarily good grades that count, but rather social engagement and your own family and social situation. So it's worth finding out more about the different scholarships available.

Find your perfect match: You can find a good overview of all the scholarships that suit you on Germany's largest scholarship platform, www.mystipendium.de.

How do I find the right scholarship for me? How does the scholarship application process work and what do I need to bear in mind?
Here you will find a free e-book with lots of valuable information: The successful path to a scholarship

Further scholarships:

Part-time

• Further education scholarship: https://www.sbb-stipendien.de/weiterbildungsstipendium

Full-time

• Hanns Seidel Foundation: https://www.hss.de/stipendium
• Heinrich Böll Foundation: https://www.boell.de/de/stipendien
• Friedrich Naumann Foundation: https://www.freiheit.org/de/stipendien-fuer-deutsche-studierende-1
• Friedrich Ebert Foundation: https://www.fes.de/studienfoerderung/stipendium/grundfoerderung-fuer-deutsche-und-bildungsinlaender-innen-sowie-gefluechtete
• Konrad Adenauer Foundation: https://www.kas.de/de/web/begabtenfoerderung-und-kultur/studienfoerderung
• German Economy Foundation: https://www.sdw.org/das-bieten-wir/fuer-studierende/studienfoerderwerk-klaus-murmann/ueberblick.html
• Hans Böckler Foundation: https://www.boeckler.de/de/stipendium-fur-studierende-2655.htm
• German National Academic Foundation: https://www.studienstiftung.de/infos-fuer-studierende-und-vorschlagende

Federal government education loan (only for full-time students)

The education loan is a temporary (min. 3 months, max. 24 months) low-interest loan to support students. Unlike BAföG, the education loan is granted regardless of the student's own income and assets or those of their parents. There is an age limit: the loan is only paid out until the borrower's 36th birthday. The loan amounts to 100€, 200€ or 300€ per month and must be repaid later at a very low interest rate. The education loan can be terminated at any time at the end of the month and can be combined with other financing options (e.g. BAföG).

Further information and the online application form can be found on the website of the Federal Administrative Office: www.bva.bund.de.

KfW student loan

The KfW student loan supports students for up to 14 semesters and offers moderate repayment rates. You can receive between 100€ and 650€ per month – the payment amount can be flexibly adjusted each month according to your current needs. The loan is granted regardless of your income and that of your parents. However, there is an age limit: you must be under 44 years of age when you start receiving the loan. It can be combined with other financing offers, such as BAföG or education loans. You can apply for the KfW student loan at your bank or online.

Further information is available on the KFW development bank website: www.kfw-foerderbank.de.

The alternative to student loans You can finance

your studies through a reverse intergenerational contract – without worrying about repaying a fixed loan: the amount you repay depends on your individual financial situation after graduation. Repayment only begins once you reach a minimum gross income. You pay back 7.5–12.5% of your gross income each month for a predetermined number of contribution months. This way, you can be sure that you will always be able to afford the repayments, even if your salary is lower. If you continue your studies, do an internship, take parental leave or become unemployed, you can simply suspend your repayments.

Apply at any time of the year and without obligation at www.deutsche-bildung.de

Study financing at a glance:

• Monthly and/or one-off payments for living expenses, tuition fees, materials and other study costs
• Independent of your own assets and your parents' income
• Can be combined with other sources of financing (e.g. BAföG, scholarships, etc.)

Requirements for study financing

• High level of motivation for the chosen field of study
• Course of study at a state-recognised university in Germany or a comparable university abroad
• German Abitur
• No guarantors or collateral required

Overview: What distinguishes a reverse generation contract from a student loan?

Studiengebühren und viele weitere Ausbildungskosten wie Fahrtkosten zur Hochschule, Umzugskosten oder auch Kosten für Arbeitsmittel wie Laptop, Handy oder Lehrbücher können von der Steuer abgesetzt werden, wenn du dich

a) im Erststudium befindest und Einkommenssteuer zahlst (z. B. beim berufsbegleitenden Studium) oder
b) im Aufbaustudium befindest (Master oder Bachelor mit vorangegangener Berufsausbildung), auch falls du noch keine Einkommenssteuer zahlst.

Bist du also während deines Erststudiums berufstätig und zahlst auf dein Einkommen Steuern (a), kannst du in der Steuererklärung Ausbildungskosten in Höhe von bis zu 6.000 € pro Kalenderjahr als Sonderausgaben geltend machen.
Für Aufbaustudiengänge (b) besteht die Möglichkeit, Ausgaben in voller Höhe als Werbungskosten abzusetzen. Das betrifft auch Studierende in Aufbaustudiengängen, die noch nicht ins Berufsleben gestartet sind und noch keine Einkommenssteuer zahlen. Denn hier gibt es die Möglichkeit des sogenannten Verlustvortrags. Die Studienkosten kann man schon während des Studiums (oder auch für mehrere Jahre rückwirkend) in der Studentensteuererklärung angeben – und sobald man dann ins Berufsleben eingestiegen ist und Einkommenssteuer zahlt, werden diese vorgetragenen Verluste steuerlich verrechnet und zurückerstattet.

Bitte lass dich zur steuerlichen Absetzbarkeit unter Berücksichtigung der aktuellen Rechtslage von der Steuerberatung oder beim zuständigen Finanzamt beraten.

For international students, specific information on financing your studies is summarised here.

You never stop learning – 10% discount for AFBB / AWV / FHD graduates

Graduates who have completed vocational training or further education at the Academy for Vocational Education (AFBB) or the Academy for Economics and Administration (AWV) and subsequently study at the FHD receive a 10% discount on their monthly tuition fees. The same applies to FHD Bachelor’s graduates who go on to study for a Master’s degree with us.

Early Bird Discount

It pays to be early: if you decide to study at the FHD within our Early Bird deadline, we will waive the €400 enrolment fee. You can find all further information here.

Referrals

Would you like to start your studies at Dresden University of Applied Sciences together with your friends? (Bring your Buddy)

Are you already studying with us and have recommended us to others? (Students recruit students)
Or have you successfully completed your degree and would like to share your positive experiences? (Alumni recruit students)

Then join our referral programmes – and secure an attractive reward:

• €400 Bring your Buddy
• €400 Students recruit students
• €200 Alumni Refer Students

Please register here.

Payment methods

If you pay the tuition fees in full at the start of your studies, you will receive a 5% discount. A 3% discount is available if you pay annually.